Tommie Woodward, 28, was living and working in Texas when he decided to go for a swim after playing pool, drinking beer and enjoying himself at Burkart's Marina, a bar on Adams Bayou in Orange, Texas, in 2015.
It was around 2am, and the bartender on duty, Michelle Wright, tried to talk him out of it. Weeks earlier, the marina's owner had spotted an unusually large alligator in the water and posted a "No Swimming" sign outside.
Woodward knew locals swam there regularly without concern, and no fatal alligator attack had been recorded in Texas since 1836. He stripped off his shirt and wallet and headed for the water with his partner, Victoria LeBlanc.
LeBlanc spotted an alligator beneath the docks and alerted him. His response became his last words: "F*** that gator."
The attack
Moments after he jumped into the water, the alligator seized Woodward's arm. LeBlanc jumped in to try to help him, but he told her to get back to shore.
She called 911 and soon saw Woodward floating face-down near the pier before the alligator pulled him under again. His body was recovered around two hours later, missing his left arm from the elbow down.
Viral reaction and family response
The death went viral almost overnight, with major news outlets and local TV covering it. Photos from Woodward's Facebook page were widely shared, and comment sections filled with cruel jokes at his expense.
Tommie's siblings were unhappy with the way he was initially portrayed in the media. His identical twin brother, Brian, spoke to Buzzfeed about his anger at the internet reaction. He avoided the news in the aftermath, refused interviews and shut down reporters who came to his door.
The alligator found
Days later, a local man, Kent Robnett, found and shot the alligator. Robnett had seen the same oversized animal near the bayou weeks earlier and worried about his own children swimming nearby. He recognised it by its distinctive facial scarring.
Wildlife officials, working with a licensed hunter, examined the alligator's stomach contents and found human remains, confirming it was the animal that killed Woodward. Robnett received nothing more than a written warning.
Aftermath
Burkart's Marina closed permanently in 2016, just before its longtime owner passed away. The owner reportedly struggled with guilt over what happened on his property, despite having posted warning signs beforehand.
Woodward's mother, Kelley Creamer-Shibles, said: "I always thought it was going to be some stupid car accident, not an alligator attack."
